THE KII COAST. 133 



Odai Yama, being 5600 feet. These upper ranges are 

 clothed with primeval forests of coniferae, oak, and 

 chestnut ; the lower with cedar and fir almost entirely, 

 having thick under-cover of innumerable species of 

 hard, deciduous shrubs. Wild boar and deer abound. 

 At night they descend into the valleys, and notwith- 

 standing the fields are fenced in, and traps, rattles, 

 and watchers are there also, they do a great deal 

 of damage amongst the rice and sweet-potato crops. 

 Wild boar are particularly destructive, trampling down 

 even more than they eat. Pits are used, but with little 

 success. My dogs occasionally got into them ; and one 

 of the officers of the Sylvia, when out shooting, dis- 

 appeared suddenly from his companion's sight, much to 

 his own discomfort. It was no easy matter, I believe, 

 to get him out. Fortunately the Japanese do not use 

 spikes in these traps. Hunting one day with several 

 Japanese and a number of their dogs, a wild boar was 

 started, and came straight up to another gun placed 

 fifty yards from where I stood. He fired right and left 

 at the animal as it dashed past, not five yards off, with- 

 out effect. Away went the boar down the steep hill- 

 side, into some thick cover at the bottom. Soon, 

 however, he again appeared, and faced the opposite hill- 

 side, which was open and bare. On the different peaks 



